Chess, anyone?
by QueenAllie
Summary: All Mokuba wants for his birthday is for Seto to make friends. Seto decides to grant Mokuba's request, but what happens when things get a little out of hand? And all over a silly game of chess... slash! RR! Completed now, 1015!
1. Prologue

Summary: Mokuba's birthday wish is for Seto to make some friends. What's a Kaiba to do?  
  
Pairings: a cup of Seto/Ryou and a few sprinkles of Duke/Tristan for my own amusement ^^ nothing else planned  
  
Rating: not sure so PG-13 to be on the safe side. It is slash after all.  
  
Key: /../ Someone's thoughts *..* word is stressed  
  
Prologue  
  
"You know," Seto said casually looking up from his laptop to glance at the boy playing a video game in his office. "Your birthday's coming up. Anything in particular you want?" he asked as he started back up on his work.  
  
"Oh no!" the games narrator exclaimed. "Try again!"  
  
Seto looked up again to find his brother looking at him, game forgotten.  
  
Mokuba shifted slightly. "Yes," he answered in a hopefully, yet slightly apprehensive voice.  
  
/Oh gods, please don't let it be a wild animal. There is no way I'm getting him that lion cub. I don't care how much he wants it./  
  
After a bit of a pause Seto finally asked, "What is it?" almost afraid to hear the answer. /He knows I won't like it.. What could it be?/  
  
"Well," Mokuba explained. "It's not really a thing. It's a do."  
  
Seto raised an eye brow. /'A do'? What could he want to do that I won't like? No piercing, no tattoos./  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Mokuba began to look uncomfortable.  
  
"You know I'll get you anything you want for your birthday, little brother. With in reason," he added hoping Mokuba never wanted anything outrageous. /No lions, no tigers (a/n or bears! Oh my! ^^;; sorry.), no small Pacific or Atlantic Islands for him to rule-/  
  
"I want you to make friends!" Mokuba blurted out, interrupting Seto's train of thought.  
  
"What?" Seto asked, looking wide eyed over the top of his laptop.  
  
Mokuba flushed slightly. "I want you to make friends," he repeated, a little more sure of himself this time. "You're always working, dueling, or at school. You don't even talk to anyone but me! You should have *some* fun!"  
  
Now it was the elder Kaiba's turn to shift uncomfortably.  
  
"I have a company to run, Mokuba. I really don't have *time* for much else besides school. And I have fun with *you*," he added, hoping that maybe he could change his brother's mind.  
  
But it was not to be. Mokuba's face fell slightly as he said, "You said anything, big brother," in hurt tones.  
  
Seto flinched inwardly.  
  
"Besides," Mokuba protested, "It's not like I asked for the Hope Diamond!"  
  
"I almost wish you did," Seto grumbled as he tried to go back to his work and ignore his brother's sad puppy dog look.  
  
Keep your eyes on the screen, Seto told himself, not daring to look at Mokuba, who was surely pouting by now.  
  
Mokuba sniffled.  
  
Seto closed his eyes. /He's faking it../ But to no avail. Finally with a sigh he muttered, "Fine."  
  
"Yes!" Mokuba shouted! "Okay. tomorrow's Saturday, we can start then. I'll invite Yuugi and his friends over." Mokuba said to himself planning, what he had started to call Operation Friendless, as he went back to his video game.  
  
Seto stared at his brother in slight shock. Tomorrow? Yuugi and his friends? His head dropped into his hands. /Great. what have I gotten myself into?/  
  
Hehehe.... I think you mean what have *I* gotten you into Seto. ^^  
  
Seto: oh great... I'm so screwed...  
  
Well. if that's what you want...  
  
Seto: O.o uumm...  
  
Anyway, now that I'm beginning to torture Seto, I would love reviews! I'm at about the 5th part in writing but reviews are always loved, adored, and fawned over. Plus they make me update faster. It's like food for my fingers to type more, so feed!! ^^; 


	2. Setting up the Pieces

Okay, now for the main part of the tort- um... story!  
  
Wee! I got reviews! Kayrie - I fixed this ch. and last one so hopefully it reads better. Treana- I think the reason I've started up on YGO ones is because I'm reading them now. A lot. So I think I'll be writing a goodly amount of these. Yeaka - Since when did you become a English Major? XP *huggles Lethe* wee! I'm on a fav list!  
  
Pairings: A Seto/Ryou cake with Duke/Tristan icing ~.^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. I don't even own the Subs okay! Just make me feel bad! *sits in a corner and cries*  
  
Key's the same as before! /../ Someone's thoughts  
  
~Setting up the Pieces~  
  
Yuugi looked up at the huge front doors.  
  
"What are we doing here, again?" Tristan asked.  
  
Yuugi looked back at his friends, all of whom were probably thinking the same thing. "Mokuba wants Kaiba to make friends, and I think it's a great idea!"  
  
"Great idea?" Joey asked incredulously. "Kaiba's such a jerk, man! How could you want to be friends with him?"  
  
Yuugi sighed. He knew this was going to be a hard sell on Joey, but hopefully everyone else would be okay with it.  
  
"I think it's fine, Joey. Maybe if you start treating him nicely, he'll change," Tea suggested.  
  
Joey responded with a skeptical look.  
  
Duke smiled as he nudged Yuugi and winked at him. "What's wrong Joey? Going to force Kaiba to make the move to civility? Going to let *him* be the better man?"  
  
Joey bristled at this. "Him? The better man? I'm better than him any day!"  
  
Tristan snickered. "Better than him? Is that why you own a multi- million dollar corporation? Is that why you get better marks in school?"  
  
Ryou and Tea hid their smiles and tried not to look at Joey.  
  
Joey punched Tristan's shoulder. "Shut up man!" Looking at Yuugi he added, "Whatever, just as long as he doesn't call me a mutt."  
  
Yuugi beamed at everyone. "Okay then!" he said brightly as he knocked on the door.  
  
A few moments later the door was opened by a butler, and they were led inside the entryway. Ryou hung towards the back, still not incredibly sure why he had decided to come.  
  
Mokuba came running down the stairs. "You're here! Great! We'll be in the den." He looked around a touch nervously. "He doesn't seem too happy about all of this, but it'll work!" He waved to everyone to follow him and walked deeper into the mansion.  
  
Everyone followed, looking around at the huge house, and admiring it. Joey strode along in the lead with Yuugi, determined to 'be the better man.'  
  
Mokuba opened the door into the den and Tea gasped softly. Everyone's eyes widened. Ryou looked around in wonder. This one room was almost as big as his whole apartment. Maybe two-thirds. There was a large fireplace, a T.V. with chairs set around it, a dueling table, many bookcases, couches set up at random, and a chess table. Ryou smiled slightly at that. He liked to play chess. Whenever his dad was home on vacation they played each other.  
  
Seto looked up from the couch he was sitting on and quickly stood up. He felt jumpy, but his face had the usual expressionless look to it.  
  
"Thank you for coming," Seto said in a voice that was just slightly warmer than usual. "We will have lunch in an hour or so, but for now you- *we* can remain up here."  
  
It almost sounded like an order, and Mokuba noticed. He gave Seto a warning look.  
  
Seto tried to keep from growling. "Make yourselves comfortable," he added in what he hoped was a nicer tone.  
  
Ryou continued to stand rather uncomfortably where he was while Tristan flopped onto a couch, Duke headed for a bookcase, and Tea wandered around looking at the paintings on the wall.  
  
Joey walked forward and stuck his hand out. "Truce?" he demanded of Kaiba.  
  
Seto just blinked in response. /What is this mutt up to?/ But because he could feel Mokuba looking at him he shook Joey's hand.  
  
"Truce," he repeated calmly.  
  
Joey turned and gave Yuugi a thumbs up, obviously happy that he was 'better' than Kaiba. Ryou shook his head as Yuugi laughed.  
  
"Wanna play a video game Yug?" Joey asked, looking at the T.V. and the many games lined up along the wall.  
  
"Sure!" Yuugi said, leaving Ryou standing by the door alone. He looked at the chess set again, hoping to cover his awkwardness.  
  
Seto followed his gaze. "Do you like chess?" he asked the white- haired teen.  
  
Ryou flushed slightly. "Yeah," he said softly, looking around the room.  
  
"Want to play?" Seto asked.  
  
Ryou's gaze snapped back. There was no real way he could win. It might be fun though. And it would be nice playing against a real person again...  
  
"Seto..." Mokuba said in a chiding tone. "You're supposed to have fun."  
  
"Chess *is* fun," Seto said looking at Mokuba.  
  
Ryou looked between the two and quietly said, "Sure."  
  
Looking pointedly at Mokuba, Seto walked over to the table and sat down, leaving Ryou to follow him.  
  
Ryou sat down across from Seto and waited for him to make the first move.  
  
Seto sat considering what the best plan would be against this new opponent, and as he reached to make his first move-  
  
"You know Seto," Mokuba interrupted. "It's nice to let the guest go first."  
  
Ryou turned a dark shade of pink at that comment, and quickly said, "It's okay really. I like going second."  
  
Seto made a mental note that Ryou liked to play on the defensive and, with a warning glare at Mokuba, continued with his move.  
  
Okay, please forgive any mistakes when it comes to chess in this fic. I have no idea how to play it and I don't know anyone who does.  
  
Seto: I do.  
  
Well you won't teach me remember!! *pouts* Review!!! Please!! I'll give out cookies... *gives the readers one of her best Mokuba Sad Puppy Dog Looks* 


	3. Sizing Up Your Opponent

*walks in singing Can't Touch This* Yay! Next Chapter. Okay, I've written all of the story in my mind so I'm going to drop the rating down to PG. It's mainly a shounen-ai fluff. Not sure how long it will be, I've written to about 10, and then there should be at least 2 after that. Now, on to the usual details. Ryou? Would you?  
  
Ryou: Um... Heather doesn't own Mortal Combat or Yu-Gi-Oh, and honestly, we're all glad about that.  
  
o.o Glad? -.- You better remember I'm the one writing this story... and you're in it... *thinks of ways to torture Ryou*  
  
Ryou: O.o;;; I love you!!!!  
  
That's better... *hands out cookies as she's munching on her pizza* yummy... Thanks again for reviewing everyone! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside ^^ I didn't get as many though... *shrugs* oh well. :) *cuddles her chibi Ryou doll* soooooo kawaii!!!! Thank you treana! And Ieyre, who said anyone would win? ~.^ *tries being all vague and mysterious* Lethe: my ch. vary in size depending on what I want to have happen in them. This one's a bit longer but some are downright small. ^^; sorry... Kayrie, I'm writing this for the people that want to read it, and if it makes it easier to read I'd change it. Anything for my readers!! The chess is actually a really integral part of the story. I like doing themes/motifs (my other ff is very theme-y). Blame my life of AP English ^^ Oh, and I'm sorry this took so long everyone, I just started up on my job, and things have been a bit hectic.  
  
Pairings: Euro with an added Chase bonus. (Ha! I used the ship names that time!)  
  
Key: /.../ someone's thoughts *...* stressed word  
  
~Sizing up your opponent~  
  
Ryou leaned back after finally making his move, and looked around the room. Duke and Tristan were deep in conversation about the book Duke had taken off of the shelf. Tea and Yuugi were watching Joey and Mokuba play Mortal Combat.  
  
"Yes!" Mokuba yelled as he jumped to his feet. "Beat you again!"  
  
"Six times in a row could still be a fluke," Joey grumbled.  
  
Seto glanced up at this display and smiled to himself as he went back to looking at the board. He was pleasantly surprised at how well Ryou played, and he was just starting to formulate a plan of how to break through his defenses. After a few more moments he smiled again as he moved his knight into position.  
  
Ryou brought his concentration back to the game, and after only a few moments consideration, he noticed Seto's trap. Sighing defeatedly (a/n it's not a word really, but it exists in my world! =P), he leaned back in his chair and toppled his king.  
  
"You got me," he commented smiling at Seto.  
  
Seto frowned slightly. "I was still two turns from beating you. Why end now and not finish the game?"  
  
Ryou shrugged. "Why delay the inevitable?"  
  
Seto opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Mokuba yelling, "Lunch time!" and hopping up to go eat.  
  
Duke placed the book he was looking at back on the shelf and turned to Seto. "You have a wonderful collection," he commented.  
  
"Thank you," Seto replied. "I have over seven hundred books in here."  
  
"It's probably stupid to ask, but have you read most of them?" Duke inquired.  
  
"I've read them all."  
  
Duke's mouth dropped open. Seto noticed the reaction, and as he turned to leave he said, so only he and Ryou could hear, "I didn't say I had read *all* of all of them."  
  
Ryou looked at Seto as he walked off, and back at Duke, who still seemed to be in shock. With a slight giggle, he followed everyone out of the room to go eat.  
  
"Ryou! Wait up!" Duke called after him, obviously over his shock. "I don't want to get lost, you know."  
  
"You could do that easily in here," Ryou commented turning a corner.  
  
Mokuba stood at a door and waved at them. "Come on! The food's ready," he called to them.  
  
Duke and Ryou walked into the room and were both overcome with awe again. The dining room could fit fifty people comfortably.  
  
Seto gave Mokuba a look of annoyance as he entered after everyone. "To determine where everyone will be sitting, we are going to draw numbers. Everyone shall be given a number, and where that number is placed after the draw is where you will sit," he explained gesturing to a table set up in a small open area.  
  
"I'm number one, Mikuba's number two. Yuugi, you'll be number three. Tristan..."  
  
After everyone received their number Mokuba placed eight pieces of paper in a bowl and walked around the table placing one number on each plate.  
  
"Okay!" he chirped. "Find your number!"  
  
Ryou found his quickly. He'd be sitting by Tristan and -  
  
"Kaiba?!" Joey exclaimed, looking at the person who was to be sitting between him and Ryou. There was a collective sigh of exasperation around the table.  
  
Seto, who had gone to tell the kitchen staff they were ready, smirked. "Is there a problem?" he asked.  
  
Joey sank into his seat, turning pink. "No," he grumbled.  
  
Seto took his seat at the table and looked around. Ryou, Tristan, Duke, Tea, Mokuba, Yuugi, and then Joey. /This number thing isn't to bad./  
  
The servers walked in at that point and began placing cheeses and sandwich meats on the table. Mokuba had said something not to fancy would be best so Seto had opted for a kind of deli lunch where everyone made their own sandwich.  
  
One woman walked around with a plate of breads for everyone to choose from. Seto chose some wheat bread and looked at the plates. Before he could pick anything, the young woman asked for everyone's drink preference. Seto didn't respond. She knew what he wanted.  
  
Seto began fixing his sandwich, but looked to his left when his name was practically whispered.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Um..." Ryou shifted in his seat under the intense gaze. "I don't want to be rude, but can I have a salad or something?" he asked timidly.  
  
Seto paused considering the request. "Are you a vegetarian?" he asked in response.  
  
"Yes," Ryou mumbled quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry. If I had known I would have had something else prepared for you already." Seto looked up as the drinks were brought in. "Rose, have a salad made and brought out to Ryou."  
  
The young woman nodded. "Yes, sir. What dressing would you prefer?"  
  
Ryou looked up at Rose. "Italian please," he answered, and Rose left.  
  
Seto set his sandwich on his plate and took a sip of his water. Everyone had started eating and chatter broke out amongst them. He looked to his left at Ryou.  
  
"I enjoyed the game, you played well," he said, feeling something should be said. Ryou blushed in response. /He does that often. I wonder why he's so nervous./  
  
"Thank you," Ryou replied. "I had no chance of beating you, of course. You're very good. I enjoyed it though. I wasn't playing a computer so I was happy," he managed with a smile.  
  
Seto even smiled a bit at that, much to Ryou's surprise. /He actually looks nice when he smiles.../  
  
"Do you only play against a computer?" Seto asked, taking another sip.  
  
"Mainly, yes. I play my father when he's home from one of the digs," Ryou explained. "Why aren't you eating?" he ask curiously.  
  
"A host should never eat before his guests have gotten their food," Seto stated simply.  
  
Ryou blushed again. /Great. Now I'm forcing him to wait on me./ "You can eat, it's okay," he said quickly.  
  
"That's all right. I don't mind," Seto said smoothly. /There he goes blushing again. It's actually kind of cute. Like how Mokuba blushes every time I embarrass him./  
  
Rose walked back into the room with a large salad and placed it in front of Ryou. "Enjoy," she said with a smile. "Anything else, sir?"  
  
"No, thank you Rose," Seto answered starting on his sandwich.  
  
Ryou began eating his salad thinking that he was glad he came today. /Seto's not all that bad. Plus he plays chess. No one who plays chess can be *all* bad./  
  
Wee! Another chappie done. *re-reads a little* salad... mmm... I'm hungry. Bunches of Kudos(food again...) to Christina Ariko for answering my chess questions.  
  
Seto: You could have just asked me...  
  
You would have laughed at me, and said I was stupid for not knowing.  
  
Seto: True...  
  
-.- Anyway, be sure to review. I enjoy knowing how I'm doing. Oh, and flame away if you feel the need to. I could always use them to pop some popcorn... aaagh... food... must go eat.... *leaves singing Bad Boys(don't ask. I'm in a weird mood)* 


	4. What You Can Learn

Okay, I'm back again! Yay! Only 1 more section for me to write then all I gotta do is type it up. 10 is the magic number on this fic. My longest yet. Anyway, on with the show! Who wants to volunteer?  
  
*silence*  
  
-.- don't make me pick....  
  
Seto: Yuugi'll do it!  
  
Yuugi: What? Uuhhh.... sure... Heather doesn't own YGO. But she's getting closer to owning the subs!  
  
Yes I am!!  
  
Yuugi: not that she can watch them....  
  
Okay... I'm so finding a way to make you miserable. Stupid hikaries.  
  
Ryou: *raises an eyebrow*  
  
o.o; uumm... changing the subject... You've never read a Seto/Ryou before Ieyre? Wow. I'm the first! ^^ anyway, it's going to be a lot more than implied now... ~.^ *gets glomped* Oy, glad you liked treana! I don't really know why I made him a vegan. Just felt like it ^^; plus it helped get them to talk, and it helps later on too ^^ :( my number of reviews is dropping..  
  
Pairings: If you don't know by now, I'm not telling XP  
  
Key's the same. Shouldn't be that hard... I don't randomly change things.  
  
~What you can learn~  
  
After lunch everyone filed back into the den to talk for about another hour. Well, everyone talked and Seto made a few comments when Mokuba looked at him. It wasn't that he didn't like the conversation (Seto: I probably didn't... HEY! Who said you could make an a/n? *whips Seto w/ a wet noodle* ... stupid boys), he just wasn't used to talking to people like this.  
  
He looked around the room as Duke started talking about his new idea for an expansion of his game. His eyes fell on the chess set. /Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. I could always invite everyone over each weekend. That should make Mokuba happy./  
  
He looked back to everyone as Duke finished explaining. "Good luck," he commented.  
  
Duke looked at him. "Thanks Kaiba," Duke said slightly in shock.  
  
"Go ahead and call me Seto," he said standing up. "Thank you all for coming, but I'm afraid I have a meeting in an hour."  
  
Everyone stood and followed Seto as he walked out of the den to direct everyone to the front door.  
  
"We were glad to come," Yuugi told Seto as they walked through the mansion. "You're not that bad after you loosen up!" he said jokingly.  
  
Seto looked at Yuugi with a small smirk. "I'll make sure not to loosen up too much or you may die of shock."  
  
Yuugi laughed. "I don't think you could shock me that much," he teased back and stepped through the door the butler was holding open.  
  
"Thank you, again for coming everyone," Seto said as they walked out of the doors. "And thank you for the game, Ryou," he added as Ryou was the last outside. "It's been a while since I've played."  
  
Ryou blushed again. "No problem. I'm enjoyed it too." He shifted a bit in the silence that followed before Seto said good-bye and shut the door.  
  
"That wasn't too bad," Tea commented as everyone walked toward the street.  
  
"It really wasn't," Yuugi agreed. "Joey even behaved himself!"  
  
"Quiet you!" Joey protested, taking a swipe at Yuugi, which was easily avoided.  
  
Once they reached the street Yuugi, Joey, and Tea went in one direction home, while Ryou, Duke, and Tristan headed off in the opposite direction towards their houses.  
  
There wasn't much conversation between the boys as the walked home, and Ryou was thankful. He didn't want to talk about anything right now, he just wanted to go home and be by himself.  
  
"I never knew you liked chess," Duke commented  
  
Ryou sighed inwardly. /I don't want to talk about today.../ "Yeah," he mumbled. "My dad taught me when I was around 7 or 8."  
  
"That's cool," Tristan said. "It's a real good strategy game I've been told. Some players get so good they can guess their opponents moves."  
  
Ryou just shrugged. "I'll never be that good. I mainly play on the defensive looking for an opportunity to trap. Offensive is just too aggressive for me. I'd make a mistake." /Finally, my apartment./ "I'll talk to you later then," he called out as he headed for the stairs, not really paying attention to the good-byes of his friends.  
  
He unlocked the door, walked in, and headed straight for his room. He picked up the book he was in the middle of, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire( hehe... ^^; my two fandoms!!), and opened it to the page he'd stopped at. Ryou sat on his bed and took off his shoes as he read. After lying out on his stomach, he tried to concentrate on his book, but his mind kept wandering to where it shouldn't...  
  
To Seto.  
  
Ryou set the book aside and rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling. It really was nice playing that game with Seto. You're supposed to be able to learn a lot about a person from how they play chess.  
  
"So what did I learn about you?" Ryou asked out loud, knowing the answer already, and yet still to afraid to admit it.  
  
Wee!!! I'm done! And my Beta reader is back from her stupid trip so now my story will be edited!  
  
Seto: It'll still suck....  
  
-.- I'm going to lock you up next time so you can't say mean and stupid comments, so :P Oh! And there's foreshadowing in this section.... Can you guess where? 


	5. Just a Game

Okay, I'm finished with Chess now! Am typing it up as fast as I can and posting it when I get a good amount of reviews. Anyway- Tea: Why am I not in this more?   
  
O.o why do you think? It's a Seto/Ryou... not a Tea/anyone.... go bug Joey...   
  
Tea: *huffs* If you truly valued out friendsh-   
  
Shut up!!! Arg... These people can be downright annoying sometimes...   
  
Joey: Thanks!   
  
Oh you be quiet too.... *rolls eyes* You'd think that just because I make them minor characters I hate them... Anyway, as usual I don't own YGO. Because if I did, do you think Tea would make stupid speeches, or Yami and Seto would wear shirts? ...... didn't think so.   
  
Yes treana. very soon. Aaww 'as always'? *feels all warm and fuzzy* hehe. Ryou does do something actually but that's in about.. oh 4 more sections. *ducks* I'm working on it, I'm working on it! I'm using my roommate's computer so I can type it up sooner. *falls out of chair* good story?! *grovels before the wonderfulness of Seto/Ryou writer Wildwolf* you made me squeal when you said that! So glad no one was around to hear it ^^;;; Here you go Chibi! I'm updating!! You can stop poking me now. *rubs her arm* darn chibis.  
  
Pairing and Key: See First ch.   
  
~Just a game...~   
  
Seto paced back and forth in his bedroom a few hours after the meeting. It wasn't that important of a meeting anyway, so his mind was on other things...   
  
"I really did enjoy it," he muttered to himself. Step, step, step, turn. "It was just a game," he countered. Step, step, step, turn. "But I actually had fun spending time with someone other than Mokuba." Step, step, step, turn. "I shouldn't be spending time playing games when I have a corporation to run..." Step, step-   
  
"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," Mokuba interrupted.   
  
Seto spun around to face his younger brother. "Geniuses are also known to talk to themselves," he shot back.   
  
"Oh, modest and mental," Mokuba teased. "So glad you're my role model."   
  
Seto just shook his head and ruffled Mokuba's hair.   
  
Mokuba ducked to the side and scowled at his brother. "So did you have fun today?" he asked.  
  
Seto looked at the wall a seconds before looking at Mokuba. "Yeah, I did."  
  
"Alright!" Mokuba said with a smile. "So when are you going to do this again?"   
  
"Again?" Seto asked.   
  
"Yeah! You can't just talk to people once and become friends, then never see them again!" Mokuba said frowning.  
Seto gave an overdramatic sigh and sat on his bed. "Do I have to?" he playfully asked.  
Mokuba caught on and quickly retorted, "Yes you do! And if you don't I'll ground you!"   
  
"Fine," Seto said, unable to keep himself from smiling anymore. "Now you need to go to bed."   
  
"Fine," Mokuba said with a smile. "Sleep good!" he called out as he hurried out of the room.   
  
"You too," Seto called after him absent mindedly. /I really do want to have another little get together...?   
  
He pulled his knees up to his chest and glared at the wall.   
  
/Maybe I can invite just Ryou over to play chess some more. But how would I ask him?/ He flopped onto his back. /Gah, all of this friend stuff is over rated. I should just leave everything the way it is./   
  
He kicked off his shoes and rolled onto his side. If everything had stayed the same he wouldn't have had the chance to play chess.   
  
/I told Mokuba I would so I will. Besides, it's just so I can play chess some more./ He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come. Why did he feel like he was trying to convince himself? *ducks the rotten fruit* I know it's short, I'm sorry!!! The rest is all longer than this, I promise! And remember to review!! It makes me happy and makes me want to update. And when I want to update I do, and then you'll find out what happens. And ONLY then. My beta doesn't even know what happens. *evil grin* Beta: No I don't! -.- evil Heather is keeping secrets from me!!! That's not supposed to happen! Please review so I can read more!! *gives everyone sad puppy dog eyes* 


	6. What Can Be Revealed

I'm back again and to make up for the uber shortness of my last update this is much longer. Well, by my standards it is. Anyway, update: I'm finishing up typing up Chess, I wrote an angsty fic called Laughter (I know, contradiction but it works when you read it), and I've started on a Seto/Jou as a request. Hehe, I just needed an idea of what to write about.  
  
Seto: Did it have to be about me again?  
  
Well, it's not my fault that you're ever so sexy and everyone wants to see you paired up with people. Besides, I couldn't exactly change Zello's request. I have over 20 reviews! Go me...go me... *does her happy dance* ^^;; *knees subserviently* Yes, mistress treana, I will update as you command (*feels like Rashid*), but you need to keep updating your YGO stories too! Hehe, *everyone* wants Ryou yeaka! ^^; I totally love Mokuba! Aah! A hint of Seto/Ryou, Lethe? Oh, there'll be more than hinting soon ~.^ This one is sorta AU-ish because I didn't feel like writing in any of the Yamis at that time. He shows up in my other one I'm writing now, but I didn't want to make this one complex-ish. *pouts* first I'm poked, then I'm thwaped. Geez, maybe I should write bad stories so no one will attack me so I'll update. Speaking of update....  
  
~What can be revealed~  
  
Ryou swung his backpack over his shoulder as he locked his door. He walked down the steps and headed for school, his feet on autopilot. It's a good thing his feet knew where they were going because his mind was miles away.  
  
/This is so stupid. I can't even admit to anyone that I'm gay and I develop a stupid crush. That's all it is. A stupid crush. In a few weeks I'll look back and wonder what I was thinking./  
  
"Arg," Ryou said in frustration, "I *don't* like him!"  
  
"Him who?" questioned a voice behind him.  
  
Ryou jumped and immediately a flush spread across his cheeks.  
  
Duke laughed softly. "Sorry Ryou, I didn't think I would scare you, but you were just so absorbed in convincing yourself you don't like someone, I guess."  
  
"Wha- I don't like him!" Ryou countered; flustered that Duke knew what he was doing. /He isn't psychic is he?/  
  
Duke just smiled as he fell into step with Ryou. "Okay," he said disbelievingly. "It just seems like you were trying to tell yourself something you don't believe." His eyes shuttered for a second and Ryou was unable to tell what he was thinking. "I know a lot about that."  
  
Ryou blinked in confusion at Duke. What was he talking about? But after that statement Duke was back to normal.  
  
After a few moments Duke stopped and looked at Ryou. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to but... are you gay?" he asked seriously.  
  
Ryou blushed. /He didn't sound disgusted.../ "Yes," he muttered, not looking Duke in the eye.  
  
Duke started walking again. "So he's your crush?" he asked conversationally.  
  
/Why does he always ask the questions I don't want to answer myself?/  
  
Quietly, but with less force than before, Ryou said, "I don't like him."  
  
Duke smiled at the ground as he walked. "Lying to yourself doesn't work."  
  
Ryou sighed and finally admitted defeat. "I can't like him," he altered.  
  
"Him who?"  
  
Ryou's step faltered. /If I tell him, he'll think I'm insane.../  
  
Duke stopped again. "If you can't admit it to yourself, how can you admit it to him?"  
  
Ryou flushed again as his eyes widened. /Tell him?! I'll never tell him!/  
  
Duke looked nervously around them. "I'll tell you who my crush is," he offered.  
  
Ryou hesitated. Quickly he mumbled, "Eho."  
  
"What?" Duke asked, looking confused.  
  
Ryou turned red as he said, a little louder, "Seto."  
  
Duke smiled softly. "I figured." His smile fell as he looked around again. "You can't tell anyone, but," he flushed a bit too, "I like Tristan." (A/N *waves a chase flag* I couldn't help it! They're just perfect for each other!! ^^;)  
  
Ryou's eyes widened. "You... you're... I didn't know..."  
  
Duke laughed as they started walking. "You couldn't tell?" he asked jokingly, flipping his hair for emphasis (aah! So gay! *cries*).  
  
Ryou smiled. "You can never tell these days."  
  
"True," Duke agreed.  
  
/Maybe something good could come out of this... Tristan may kill me though..../  
  
"You know," Ryou ventured as they waited to cross the street to the school. "Tristan's bi," he told Duke as he started walking again. Duke, however, stood rooted to his spot.  
  
"What?" he asked, and ran to catch up with Ryou, who hadn't stopped. "What?" he asked again  
  
Ryou glanced at Duke, "He'll disembowel me if he ever finds out I told you."  
  
Duke just walked in silence for a few moments before saying "I won't tell anyone."  
  
They walked into the class to find Yuugi and company already there.  
  
"Hey guys!" Tristan called out and Ryou smiled at Duke's small blush. "Hi everyone," he said looking at his friends. Hopefully they'll just think he was being friendly, and not laughing at Duke.  
  
He walked back to his desk and sat down his bag.  
  
"Hey Seto!" he heard Yuugi say, and he froze.  
  
/I'm okay... nothing to be worried about./ He turned around to join everyone and found himself looking right at Seto. /Something to worry about..../  
  
"H-hello," he stuttered as he tried to ignore Duke's smirk.  
  
"Good morning," Seto greeted. /Okay, this shouldn't be to hard... just ask him./ "I was wondering if you would mind playing chess with e again some time?" he asked.  
  
Ryou flushed slightly again. /I can't say no, he'd ask why. Oh, *that* would be nice. 'I'm sorry Seto but I can't play chess with you because I have the stupidest urge to kiss you...'/ He realized Seto was still waiting for an answer. "Oh, sure," he said quickly.  
  
For a second there Seto was afraid he was going to say no. "When would be a good time for you?" he inquired, knowing his nervousness was properly masked.  
  
"Um..." Ryou thought for a moment. /I don't have anything planned.../ "I'm pretty much free all week."  
  
"How does today around 4 sound?" Seto asked. /I'll have time to do some work before he gets there. Then I'll play the game and get more work done after he leaves, that should work./  
  
"Okay," Ryou agreed with a small smile and walked over to the group.  
  
Seto sat down in his desk and waited for the class to start as more students filed in. He glanced over at the small group.  
  
/Mokuba would want me to talk to them, but it's to late./ He scowled at his desk. /I bet he'll ask me if I talked to them or not. I'll see if I can sit with them at lunch.../  
  
^^;; I caved and read the story to my beta. She thinks it's uber cute though and is going to kill me if I don't update more, so expect them to be coming a bit faster than before. I still want reviews though!! Because if I don't get any reviews, I dunno if I'm going to update at all. And I can do that! Because I'm the writer. HA! 


	7. Promises to Play

Ryou: *looks around nervously* um... well... Heather is a bit...  
  
Seto: beaten down?  
  
*crawls out from her hiding space* Russian is evil, not only is it a hard language, it's kicking my butt in homework!! It's okay boys, I think I can take over now. *shoves her books under her bed* Homework? What homework? *claps* Okay. We've got an update. Yay! And reviews!! YAY! Hehehe I update at least once a week Picaro. You gotta keep up! Hehehe, I've just never had anyone teach it to me well enough. Yeah, Seto joked. Who knew it was possible. Maybe Yuugi'll even have a growth spurt now ~.^ YES! Beat that everyone! Treana says I 'rool'! well... I think that's good... it's not in my dictionary. Hehehe you're welcome by the way. Just guessing from the 2 Squees, 2 glomps, and the woot, you would like a companion piece? Yay! Malik is reading my story! Hehehe. Sorry. :O Have someone rape Ryou? Pphhfftt. As I told my beta, the only one that's gunna rape him, is me. ^_^;;; wow... am thought to be good. Cool. *gets huffy* Well the Duke/Tristan lessens, but I am a rabid chase fan, so it'll be there. Sorry. Wildwolf! Don't go encouraging the guys! You could mess everything up! Those plot bunnies are very particular. Okay... UPDATE!  
  
Disclaimer: oh to own Yu Gi Oh. Then I'd own the guys... *raises an eyebrow* hmm... must find way to buy YGO....  
  
~Promises to Play~  
  
Ryou sat with everyone at lunch, chatting, and idly nibbling on his carrots.  
  
"You look like a rabbit when you do that, Ryou," Joey commented, waving his sandwich at him.  
  
Ryou merely wiggled his nose at the blonde in response, and went back to his thinking.  
  
"Hey Ryou," Tristan greeted, sitting in the seat next to him. "Is there anything wrong with Duke?" he asked, looking at Duke who had removed himself from the group, and sat reading a book.  
  
Ryou followed his gaze. /Well, if Tristan is going to kill me it wouldn't hurt.../  
  
He looked back at Tristan and shrugged. "I don't know, why don't you ask him?"  
  
"He might think me prying. I don't want to upset him," Tristan replied looking concerned.  
  
"I'm sure he won't," Ryou responded. "The worst he'll do is say he doesn't want to talk about it."  
  
Tristan just nodded and moved to sit in front of Duke.  
  
/Now all Duke has to do is not mess it up./ Ryou glanced back at Duke, who was now blushing. Duke looked over at Ryou, who just smiled encouragingly, and went back to his lunch. /Maybe one of us will be brave enough to talk to our crush./  
  
A shadow fell across the table and everyone looked up to see who it was.  
  
"Seto! How are you?" Yuugi asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Seto answered. "Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"  
  
"No problem!" Yuugi chirped with a smile.  
  
Seto took the seat beside Yuugi and began eating. There was a silence around the table. Ryou forced his gaze to remain on the table, not wanting to look at Seto.  
  
/I'm making everyone uncomfortable by sitting here.../ "Mokuba's birthday is next Tuesday, and he's having his party this Saturday. You are all invited of course," Seto commented, looking at the group. Duke and Tristan were off talking, he could tell them later.  
  
"Sure, we'll be there!" Tea said smiling at Seto. "Is there anything he wants for his birthday?"  
  
Seto smirked slightly. "Well there was that lion cub he wanted..."  
  
"A stuffed animal?" Tea asked, confused. How old was Mokuba turning?  
  
The smirk widened. "No," he stated. "A real one."  
  
Tea's jaw dropped. "Well I don't think I could get him that!"  
  
"Even if you did I wouldn't let him keep it. Just get him a stuffed lion, and tell him his mean brother wouldn't let you get him a real one," he suggested.  
  
Tea grinned. "I may just do that."  
  
Ryou looked back down at his lunch and decided he wasn't hungry anymore. After placing the trash in his bag he moved to stand up.  
  
Seto, who was already standing, took the bag from him. "Let me," he offered and walked off to put up his tray. Ryou just stared after him, unable to even call out 'thank you.'  
  
"He's really not that bad when he tries," Joey commented, watching Seto walk off.  
  
"No he isn't," Ryou agreed as he turned back to the group. /He really isn't.../  
  
Ryou snuck a glance in Duke's direction and was glad to see he wasn't blushing anymore. As the bell to go back to class rang, he steered his way over to him.  
  
"Were you braver than I am?" he asked as they left the lunch room.  
  
Duke glared at him. "You're lucky I don't kill you for pulling a stunt like that," he grumbled .  
  
"Went that well?"  
  
Duke glanced down. "It didn't go bad, so I'll spare your life this time. But no, I didn't tell him."  
  
"Why not?" Ryou demanded.  
  
"Because I'm no braver than you?" Duke offered with a small grin.  
  
"Talk to him," Ryou pleaded. "Be the braver of the two of us."  
  
Duke stopped outside of his classroom and considered Ryou. "I can't be brave for you."  
  
Ryou sighed. /He has to be psychic./ "Just knowing you can do it is help enough," he admitted.  
  
Duke flashed a grin, and winked at him. "Well I always said 'anything to help' right?" And with that he walked into his class.  
  
/Oh I do hope he did think I promised him anything./ Ryou sat in his seat and stared at the blackboard, a little worried. /I didn't.... did I?/  
  
Yay! One more update finished. Sleep? Who need sleep?? I do, but if I tell myself I don't, I may change... Anyway, companion Chase piece? Anyone? Anyone? Just four more sections to go after this!! Go me! Hopefully I'll get it out by the middle of October. Maybe sooner. Depends on the reviews...*wink*wink*nod*nod*nudge*nudge* Know what I mean, know what I mean? *gets mauled by her homework* aaahhh!!!!!!!  
  
Seto: *rolls eyes* Just review so she can finish this and get some sleep. She's acting... funny.  
  
Mokuba: Weirder than normal? How can you tell? 


	8. Waiting Game

Tristan: You aren't going to write a companion piece with me and Duke are you? Please don't.  
  
Hey! At least you hook up with someone and I'm not shoving you to the back like Joey and Tea.  
  
Joey: I knew it!  
  
O.o Me and my big mouth... I love you Joey ^_^; I mean you're the main char. in another fic of mine.  
  
Joey: . maybe I don't want you to love me...  
  
I'm not that bad!! Really!! *tries to look innocent* Okay, am trying to get these up faster so am typing in all my free time, which isn't much. I can't believe that people actually expect me to learn at college. *rolls eyes* what are they thinking? Anyway, hi to all my new reviewers!! *waves* glad you could join us! If you e-mail me phrases Anime, I'll do my best ^^ I'm just a first year Russian student however. Fox... I am sorry to admit that fan girls do have limited power. However! Fan girl fic. writers have absolute power. ~.^ Why else do you think I write? *waves at Lady Dragon and Silver Queen* Here's a new one! Am trying to move along fast! Eep! *hides behind Tristan* Not the clowns! Glad I could life your day! Many a fic has done that for me *cough*treana's*cough* I too have a... unfavorable opinion of Tea, however I wish death upon no one. Oh, there's more romance. I've got...*thinks* ouch... 3 more after this. Then I'll work more on my Seto/Jou. Isn't Duke the best?! I just love him. I agree Lethe, look up "cute" in the dictionary and you'll see a pic of Ryou. And Mokuba too. Duke has to tell Tristan, treana? Goodness... you're demanding. :P Anyway, enough blathering (man that's a cool word), here's the next part!  
  
Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, If I owned Yu Gi Oh, Ooooh the things I would do...  
  
~Waiting Game~  
  
(A/n I know nothing about the Japanese school system, except that they have school. So... Americanized baby!!)  
  
Ryou sat on the edge of his bed and tapped his foot impatiently. He glanced at the clock. 3:15? He laid back with a sigh. He'd been home for 30 minutes. He'd changed, had a snack, and worked on a few problems of his homework.  
  
He glanced at the clock again. 3:17. /So this is what conflicting emotions feels like..... I hate it./  
  
Ryou sat up and looked at his math homework. After crossing to his desk and sitting down he decided to put the remaining 42 minutes to some use.  
  
"The absolute value of negative two to the second minus...." Ryou trailed off.  
  
/Gah! I'm being so stupid. I want the minutes to fly by, but I'm mad when it does./ He rose from his seat and paced nervously in his room. /I can't talk to him about this, so I'm going to have to act normal. I can do that./  
  
Ryou glanced at his clock again. 3:24. He signed and resumed his pacing. /I wonder if Duke talked to Tristan. Does he expect me to talk to Seto? Oh there's no way I could do that. But if Duke can....../  
  
Almost 3:30. Ryou sighed and continued his pacing, to nervous to sit still.  
  
Halfway across town, Seto looked at his clock on the wall. 3:30. He picked up where he had left off in his pacing, and in his argument.  
  
/My P.R. department would kill me if they ever found out. Of course, I would kill *them* if they ever found out.../  
  
He scowled at the floor he kept walking over. /All I have to do is act 'friendly' and play a game of chess. Mokuba's happy, and then we have the party, I talk to Yuugi every once in a while, and everything will be fine./  
  
He stopped and glanced at the chess board, waiting patiently for the game to start. /I just felt so comfortable around him. He didn't want or expect anything from me. Just a game of chess./ He picked up his king and slowly rolled the piece between his fingers, feeling the cold smooth crystal.  
  
That's what he had to be. Cold and impersonal. That's what he'd always been. /But gods, I don't want to. I just want to be a normal teenager, engaged in a normal activity. Enjoying the company of a friend.../  
  
He resisted the urge to throw the piece across the room at his warring emotions. /This is so stupid! I don't have time for friends, much less a more intimate relationship, and if it ever got out that I was guy, my competition would eat me for dinner,.  
  
He glanced at the clock. 3:50. /Ryou will be here soon./ With that thought Seto headed for the kitchen to make sure everything would be ready.  
  
"Rose," Seto snapped upon entering the room. "Everything is in order?"  
  
"Yes sir," Rose said with a slight curtsy. "And I made sure to have the food prepared to your orders."  
  
"Good," and with that, Seto left. He wanted to answer the door when Ryou arrived. Seto stood in the entry way and looked at his watch. 3:56.  
  
Four feet away, on the other side of the door, Ryou looked up from his own watch. /What if he gets mad about me showing up early? Well he has said *around* four./ With a deep breath he reached up and knocked on the door.  
  
Almost instantly the door opened. Ryou blinked, slightly taken aback at the fact that Seto opened the door. "H-hello," he said in greeting.  
  
"Thank you for coming," Seto responded, stepping aside to let Ryou through.  
  
Ryou dropped his gaze. "Thank you for inviting me," he said as he tried to stay in step with Seto as they strode along, heading for the den. /He must have noticed, because his steps slowed. Ryou felt a flush spread across his cheeks. /He's hate me If he knew.../  
  
Seto looked at the boy walking next to him and noticed the blush as he lessened his stride. /He would die of embarrassment if he ever found out.../  
  
The two turned into the den and headed for the chess board, each absorbed in their thoughts of the other.  
  
They sat down at the table and locked eyes for a few seconds before the game began.  
  
/Oh gods...this is going to be the hardest game of my life../  
  
Okay, and we're done with that one. This one is prolly my fav section, because when I was writing it, it felt so film like. I'm just weird like that.  
  
Duke: Hello? What happened to me?  
  
Oh, you actually care?  
  
Duke: Duh, it's about me.  
  
Oh well fine... you'll find out.... later. :) Thank you, come again! And don't forget to review!! (am hoping for 50 by the end of this) 


	9. Winning Means Taking Risks

Dude, I love the weekend. I don't have anything to do so I can just work on fiction. That's wonderful.  
  
Joey: You haven't been working on mine *pouts*  
  
,': | You actually want me to work on it?  
  
Seto: No he doesn't. Don't listen to him -.-  
  
Joey: Well you don't write about me in this one...  
  
Aww... Joey's jealous. Fine, I'll write more up tonight. Better? *pat*pat* *huggles her reviews* you guys are so cool! I love getting reviews from all of you. You totally rock my socks!! Well Ice, you used caps almost the whole time. Go you! Hehe me like chess too. ^_^ DSF, Isn't tension the greatest?! And to think there's more to come. o.o Shouldn't have said that... Anyway, thanks for the compliments! And Mokuba is the cutest. Don't worry Mailk, you may not be in this one, but you're in my Seto/Jou. And there's some evilness of the ness ness in there. *leaves Duke alone* he's a big boy, he can handle it. Hehehe, okay treana, this chapter is all for you. Yeah, that's right. It's your wish in text. Aww, more than 50 Lethe? Then review more! Hehe, I lied before. NOW there's 2 more sections after this. I can't count ^^;; So you don't have to make up 5 names Anime. I should reach it for sure... only 5 to go! Anyway, here ya go!  
  
~Winning Means Taking Risks~  
  
Ryou stared at the board as he tried to unravel Seto's moves and look for the best way to trap him. Brows furrowed, he concentrated.  
  
Seto crossed his arm and studied his opponent. /He has such a sweet nature about him. It's like he hates to upset someone./ He watched as Ryou tried tuck a lose piece of hair behind his ear, eyes still on the board.  
  
Seto's hand itched to run its fingers through that hair. /It looks so soft.../ He was snapped back to reality, however, when Ryou made is move.  
  
Now it was Seto who concentrated on the game, and Ryou's mind was allowed to wonder. He was utterly captivated by the sparkling blue eyes that studied his last move. /They're like the ocean, so blue and deep. Such a treasure is held within, but he hides it from everyone.../  
  
Seto smiled suddenly as he saw what Ryou was doing. /Sorry Ryou, I can't let you do that./ He made his move. "Check."  
  
Ryou sighed as he was forced to move his king. That plan was scrapped, and he was now in a very bad position.  
  
A few turns later Seto smirked as he looked up at Ryou, made his move and proclaimed, "Checkmate."  
  
Ryou knocked his king over and was filled with feelings of happiness and longing. It was over.  
  
Seto rose smoothly and gestured toward the door. "I had a dinner prepared, so if you would like to stay I would enjoy it."  
  
A faint pink flush spread across Ryou's cheeks as he smiled. "I'd love to.." /Why did I say that? I could have just said yes... oh gods, I'll never be able to tell him./  
  
Seto allowed a small smile before heading off to the kitchen. /'I'd love too' ....that's so close to 'I love you'... What am I thinking?! I can't like him. I wonder if he has any clue what he's doing to me.../  
  
Ryou walked into the dining room to find the large table had two places set at the far end. He was glad they would be across from each other. Yet another chance to stare into dazzling azure eyes.  
  
Seto nodded to Rose, who slipped into the kitchen. He paused behind his chair as he waited for Ryou to reach his own, and then sat down.  
  
"I had something prepared tonight that I think we'll both enjoy," he commented as Rose walked back in, and placed two large plates in front of them. "Mozzarella and herb ravioli, and fettuccine alfrado (a/n I love Italian food.... can you tell ^_^;). There is absolutely no meat or tomato chunks."  
  
Ryou looked up at Seto in shock. "How did you know that I don't like tomatoes?"  
  
Seto picked up his fork and gave Ryou another of his almost smiles. "You picked them out of your salad with excellent precision."  
  
Ryou blushed as he started on his dinner. /He paid attention to what I did and didn't eat?/ He gave himself a mental shake. /He probably just asked Rose if I ate my tomatoes./ He put a piece of the ravioli in his mouth and his eyes widened. "This is wonderful!" he said after he finished.  
  
"My head chef is from Italy(ooh ,la la!), he'll be flattered to know you like it." Seto paused and the silence became slightly awkward. "I picked Italian because you chose that for your dressing."  
  
Ryou just blushed in response.  
  
/Am I talking too much? What if he's guessed? ...he looks like an intuitive person. Oh gods, if he even suspects.../ Seto focused on his plate in worry.  
  
Ryou pushed the alfrado around on his plate, idly eating. It seemed that the fear and nervousness had caused his stomach to shrink. He just wasn't hungry.  
  
Ryou tried a small pep talk to get his fear to go away. /I can do this. It's not that hard, just tell him. Who am I kidding? I can't tell him.... okay... that didn't work. Another approach. Duke'll kill me if I don't. Death is bad, so I'll tell him and I won't be killed.... I'll die of embarrassment though... That didn't work either./  
  
Seto noticed Ryou's restless eating, and then had to say something when the eating all together stopped.  
  
"Ryou? Is anything wrong?"  
  
"No," Ryou responded immediately. He saw Duke standing outside of the classroom. 'Anything to help!' /Damn..... I have to do this.../ 'Yes," he admitted tentatively.  
  
Seto fought to control his breathing. /He knows.../ "What?" he asked, so afraid of what his answer would be.  
  
/Say it! Just say it and get it over with!/ Ryou opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally blurting out, "I think I have a crush on you!" /There I said it!/, and promptly turned as red as the spaghetti sauce.  
  
HA! That's it! The end of this section! *laughs evilly* I love cliff hangers! Now you better go and review or I won't post the next section. That's right! I can do that! Because I'm evil! XD 


	10. Can Both Players Lose?

Well I'm back, and I guess I've tortured you guys enough. Here's the next section. Not that it is going to solve everything. That would be too easy. ^^  
  
Seto: Can't you just finish this and leave me alone?  
  
Now, now Seto.... if you're not very nice to me, who knows who I'll pair you with next time. You think Jou is bad... *evil smirk*  
  
Seto: O.o;;  
  
Thought so... Now on to bigger and better things. My comments on my lovely reviewers! *glomps DSF* thank you!! It's soooo uber cool to be favorited! Hehehe, and you thought the last section had tension. I figured Ryou wasn't all chicken, and as you can see, he isn't! I'm so glad I could make you less annoyed Lonewolf! I too have found that when one is feeling bad all they need is a little shounen ai fluff to make it all better. I'm sorry that I keep dragging this out Lethe, but I promise, after (not this but) the next update you'll have to wait no more! Then... you shall know, one way or the other. Oh you think this is a cliffhanger IceMaiden? Hehehe, just wait. Dude! Sugar rocks! *hands out Pixi Stix to all her reviewers* sugar!!!! And I agree... eew... tomatoes. I would hope no one calls Ryou 'tomato face' SilverQueen. It's bad enough he doesn't even like tomatoes. Wooh! Cat face from Anime! It *must* be kawaii! But without giving anything away *cough*hint*cough* it's even cuter at the end. ~.^ Ryou is the best, Raven! He should have a fan club. And thanks for reviewing Dark Angel! You will now know what Seto 'says' as I continue with the next section (which is longer than usual for me. Have fun!)!  
  
~Can Both Players Lose?~  
  
'I think I have a crush on you.' Those eight words washed over Seto, and for a second he was confused as to why Ryou was blushing so much.  
  
Then suddenly he felt the full impact of them hit him. His heart overflowed and broke in the space of less than a second. /It could be... no it can't! Damnit!/ Emotions tore through Seto, he was standing in a whirlwind, unable to control anything.  
  
Always the one to hide his emotions, he stood up. "Excuse me," he said fighting back tears, and disappeared into the kitchen under the nervous gaze of Ryou.  
  
Ryou just sat staring at the door for a few moments in shock. /He left...... oh gods, who was I kidding?!/ He pushed back from the table. It was a good thing he knew his way to the front door, or he may have ended up lost in the last place he wanted to be.  
  
After letting himself out and closing the door behind him, Ryou felt so empty. /I won't cry... I knew it was hopeless... but did he have to leave?/ He knew he was on the verge of tears. /I never should have told him!/  
  
Ryou had the sudden urge to be as far away from this place as he could. He broke into a run and headed for the only place he could think of: Duke's.  
  
~*~  
  
Seto hid himself in the den and fought to control his emotions. /Why Ryou? Why did you have to give me the opportunity to have what I want? Why did you have to make this harder for me?/  
  
He stopped and glared at the chessboard, all laid out as they had left it after Seto had won. When his eyes fell on Ryou's king, lying on its side, he remembered their first game. He had toppled his own king, sacrificed it, because he knew he was going to lose.  
  
He grabbed the fallen king and sat it up. Then he looked at his own king, and his hand moved to knock it over. He'd lost this game, he wouldn't let himself win. /Wait./ He pulled up short. /Why can't I win? I'm the only one stopping myself./  
  
Seto stepped back and looked at the door. /Since when did I care about what people thought of me? Since when did I ever give up on what I wanted?/ Determined, Seto walked back to the dining room.  
  
"Ryou, I-" Seto started, pushing open the doors to the room, but he stopped when all he saw was Rose.  
  
She looked up, the forgotten dinner plates in her hands. "I'm sorry sir, but Ryou left."  
  
Seto's stomach dropped to the floor. "When?" he forced out. /Not now... please don't do this to me Ryou.../  
  
"Just a few moments after you sir," Rose said with a small curtsy, and left for the kitchen.  
  
Seto stood in the doorway, staring at the table, not seeing anything. /I've ruined it. I was stupid and I left, so I ruined it.....Well then, I'll just have to fix it./ He stalked back into the den, determined to fix his stupid mistake. And *nothing* stopped Seto Kaiba when he was determined.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryou paused outside of the game shop and tried to catch his breath a bit before entering. Ignoring everyone, he walked straight to the back of the shop, looking for Duke. He found him talking to the cashier.  
  
"Ryou! You'll never guess - What's wrong?" Duke grabbed Ryou's arm and pulled him up the stairs to the floor above the game shop, where he lived. "Ryou, talk to me," he pleaded after Ryou hadn't said anything.  
  
"Did you tell Tristan?" Ryou asked in response, not noticing where they were.  
  
"Yes, but that's not - oh my god...." Duke's eyes widened. "You actually told Kaiba?"  
  
Ryou stared at the wall as he tried to stop his shaking. /Why Seto? The first time I get the nerve to do anything like this and you walked off..../  
  
Duke finally grabbed Ryou's shoulders and shook him. "Ryou!"  
  
Ryou was snapped back to reality, and he couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears made their way down his cheeks as he told Duke what happened. By the time he'd gotten to the end he was shaking so bad he thought his knees were going to give out.  
  
Duke grabbed Ryou in a fierce hug. "You have got to be the braver out of the two of us. I would never have been able to even come *close* to telling Kaiba."  
  
Ryou just buried his face in Duke's shoulder. All he wanted to do was hide from the world.  
  
"You're going to school tomorrow." /That's it, he's psychic./  
  
Ryou pulled back. "School? Are you insane? He'll be there!"  
  
Duke just gave Ryou a determined look. "I won't allow you to let this pull you under. You can come away from this a stronger person."  
  
"You can't make me," Ryou said sullenly.  
  
"If you aren't at school by 7:15, I'm going to your place and dragging you to school. I don't care if you're still in your pajamas."  
  
"Fine," Ryou sulked. "But don't expect me to talk to you."  
  
Duke gave Ryou a small smile and another hug. "Deal."  
  
~*~  
  
Seto sat at the couch and stared at the blank piece of paper in front of him. Nothing in his life, especially running Kaiba Corp, had ever prepared him for writing a note like this. A note that, he felt, held the fate of his happiness.  
  
He absentmindedly fiddled with the box sitting beside him. The piece of paper remained blank, and had been that way for a while already. He looked around the den, and tried to find comfort in the memories of the games. /What can I do to make him realize I respect his..... move..../ The pieces of the puzzle snapped together.  
  
His blue eyes sparkled with the inner fire that only came from facing a challenge and beating it, as he began writing.  
  
After a rough draft Seto made a few edits and wrote the final copy. He folded it up and placed it in the box with the gift. Now all he had to do was give it to Ryou.....  
  
Nothing really to put here. Just the usual "review or I won't update" stuff. Oh, and the cool teaser stuff. Ahem. *corny announcer voice* What is on the note? Will Seto give Ryou the box? Will Ryou take it? What is in the box? *dramatic chord* Find out in the chilling conclusion of "Chess, anyone?" next time! Anyone care to hazard a guess? 


	11. Checkmate

*giggles like the rabid YGO fangirl she is* I bought the YGO cereal today. ^_____^ Then I got more cereal just for the YGO action medallions. But I'm not obsessed... really. *Sniffle*sniffle* This is it, my last update for this story. It'll be finished now. Waaaahhhh!!!! *cries big crocodile tears*  
  
Seto: *sigh* oh come on, you're going to write more.  
  
But this was my first hit.... ;-;  
  
Seto: Will you just stop wallowing in tears? It's not a pretty sight.  
  
*huffs* Oh shut up. As much as I loath to admit it, you have a semblance of a point. So, onward and upward! I told you I was evil IceMaiden. And the reason I am so mean and cruel, and yes you did mention evil, is because I can!! Muhahahaha *hack* note to self: do not laugh evilly while eating brownie, causes inhalation. You broke your chair? I do hope you won't find me and my evilness to blame. I don't have time for a lawsuit. Make something tragic happen, Malik? In the last section? Sadly enough your evil wishes can not be preformed this section. Instead you must suffer through uber kawaii-ness!!(which some people could find tragic...) It's okay that you were late treana! Yes! He said it! Go Ryou! Power to the weirdos! I rock and I rool! Man... I'm going to get an ego soon.... As for Duke telling Tristan.. yes he did... as to what happened..... *zips her lips* You'll have to read to find out, and then you'll have to interpret what your reading. Being vague is fun. :D aawwwww *hands DSF tissues* There, there. *pat* Kaiba was rather stupid then. I agree.  
  
Seto: -.- You wrote me that way.  
  
So what? You still did it. And it was stupid.  
  
Seto: .....*is speechless*  
  
I win, you lose. Thank you, come again. Anyway, love/crush, close enough. Wow.. did you really yell that? *blushes* I hope no one was around to hear but thanks! Ryou and Seto forever!! At least until I hook Seto and Jou, and then Ryou and Honda up. ^_^;; darn those plot bunnies. Anime, you confused me so much! I had to go re-read my own story! Then I realized when you said proposal you were talking about the box! I felt rather stupid for not getting that, but no marriage in the future for them *yet* ;D Tons of kitty faces! Woot! It's okay Lethe, Seto's going to try his best to fix it, but nope, not pocky....mmm... pocky. Now I want some... Whelp, this is it.  
  
Disclaimer to end all disclaimers: don't own it. Prolly never will, but hey, Fangirls can dream, right?  
  
~Checkmate~  
  
Ryou trudged to school the next morning, cursing Duke with every step he took.  
  
/I don't want to go to school, I don't want to see Seto, I don't want to see anyone. I just want to sleep!/  
  
He stopped across from the school and glares at it for a moment. Then, with a deep, resigned, sort of 'I'm off to hell' sigh, he headed for his class.  
  
Duke was outside of the class, leaning against the wall. "You're late. It's 7:18."  
  
"You got very far in coming after me in three minutes," Ryou commented dryly as he stopped in front of Duke.  
  
Duke just grinned. "I knew you would show. You said you would."  
  
Ryou hesitated before asking, "Is he here yet?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear a yes or -  
  
"No," Duke said as he turned to enter the classroom.  
  
"You never answered my question about you-know-who(a/n Voldemort? XD sorry...)...." Ryou trailed off knowing that Duke would know who he was talking about. He sat in his seat and looked at Duke, who was sitting on top of the desk in front of him.  
  
Duke looked down and grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to tell you yesterday. I thought it might have upset you."  
  
Ryou was surprised that it didn't. He was glad that Duke's experience had gone much better than his(So treana.. what does that mean? ;) ). "We'll it doesn't so tell me everything."  
  
Duke hesitated questioningly before plowing ahead and distracting Ryou from the latest addition to their classroom.  
  
Seto paused in the door and then went straight to his desk. He wasn't going to interrupt Ryou's conversation with Duke. /When am I going to give it to him? Class is about to start... Lunch I guess.../  
  
The teacher walked in and the class got to their seats. After Duke left, Ryou looked around the room. /Gods... he's here./ He stared at his desk, refusing to even look at him again. He didn't even notice when the teacher called his name for roll.  
  
"Ryou's here," Duke said for him.  
  
Ryou's head snapped up. "What?"  
  
Their teacher just rolled her eyes and went on with the roll.  
  
/How am I going to make it?/  
  
~*~  
  
Ryou sat down at the table with everyone and placed his lunch in front of him. He had no desire to eat, but Duke was going to make him, he knew it.  
  
"Seto! How are you?" Yuugi asked, looking behind Ryou.  
  
Ryou tensed. /Oh please don't let him say anything now. He's not cruel, but he might not know I didn't tell them..../  
  
"Fine," Seto absently replied, and took the seat beside Ryou. He placed a box on the table and pushed it slightly toward Ryou.  
  
"I'd like you to take this," he said, unsure of what to do.  
  
"No thank you," Ryou said, refusing to look up from his spot on the table.  
  
"Please, Ryou." There was silence and Seto felt emptiness begin to fill him. For the first time he was unable to completely conceal his emotions. "Please, Ryou. Please take it."  
  
Ryou looked up in shock at the pleading in Seto's voice. Emotions lurked in those devastatingly blue eyes, bur Ryou couldn't determine them. "Okay," he said with a small nod, and then turned back to his spot.  
  
Seto stood and left. There was nothing more he could do. Everything now rested in Ryou's hands.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryou walked home quickly and went straight to his room. He dumped the contents of his backpack on his bed and grabbed the box. He had no clue what was in it.  
  
After looking at it for a few minutes he finally untapped it and opened the lid. He peered inside and pulled out the lone object. It was a king from Seto's chess set...Seto's king...  
  
Ryou was confused and he looked in the box again. This time he noticed the small paper, and he took it out, tossing the box aside. After looking at the chess piece again he started on the letter.  
  
Ryou,  
I have fallen into your trap. I now sacrifice my king  
to you for as you once said, 'Why delay the inevitable?'  
I would ask, however, that you return my piece to me, for  
my set is incomplete without it. I will understand, of course,  
if you chose not to. You know where the piece goes, and  
congratulations on a perfectly executed game.  
-Seto  
  
Ryou re-read it again at least four times, unable to believe what the letter said. /There's no way he could actually like me.../ He looked at the piece again. There was only one way to find out.  
  
He left his apartment and began to make his way across town, the piece clutched in his hand. What was he going to say if Seto was there?  
  
He was also unsure of what he was going to do when he got to the mansion. Luckily, the butler was waiting close enough to the door to hear Ryou's tentative knocks.  
  
Ryou stepped in and looked around him. This was it. He headed for the den; the only task in his mind was placing the king in its place on the board.  
  
He walked into the den and his step faltered when he saw Seto standing in front of the fireplace. Seto didn't react as his entrance, however, so he walked to the board and placed the king in its place.  
  
He looked up to find Seto standing a few feet away, looking at him. Ryou was felt overwhelmed at the gratitude that emanated from Seto's strong gaze. He looked back at the board, and laid his king on its side.  
  
"You win," he said smiling up at Seto.  
  
Seto reached over and picked the king up, setting it up straight. A grin broke out across his face as he pulled Ryou into his arms.  
  
"No Ryou... this time, we both win."  
  
^______^ Okay. That's it for this one. It's been some good times but my plot bunnies have multiplied, so if you wanna you can check out the other YGO ffs that are sure to come. My Seto/Jou, "Love Simply IS" should go up tomorrow, or the day after, once my beta finishes. And if you have a couple you'd like to see me write, gimme some pairs and I'll give them to my muses to work with. *hugs her reviewers again*" You guys are the greatest!! *pokes her number of reviews* 75....75.....75... ^_^;; 


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